CULLMAN, ALABAMA

'Cullman' is a city in Cullman County, Alabama, United States and is considered a part of Greater Birmingham. At the 2005 estimation census the population was 16,675, gaining about 2,000 people from the census of 2000. The city is the county seat of Cullman County. Cullman is considered to be the financial, commercial, and civic center of not only Cullman County but of other surrounding counties as well. Cullman is one of the three primary cities that make up the Birmingham-Hoover-Cullman Combined Statistical Area, which is home to over a million people.

Contents

History

Geography

Demographics

Education

External links

History

Cullman was founded in 1873 by Colonel John G. Cullmann, a German refugee who came to America in 1866. In 1873, Colonel Cullmann purchased 349 acres of land from the Louisville and Nashville Railroad Company and established a colony for German immigrants.

Five German families moved to the area in March 1873; in 1878, the town was incorporated and named after Colonel Cullmann. Over the next twenty years, Colonel Cullmann encouraged 100,000 Germans to emigate to the area. The site he selected for his headquarters is now his grave site.
For many years Cullman was a college town, with Saint Bernard College serving as the home of several hundred students. In the mid-1970's, it briefly merged with Sacred Heart College (a two-year Benedictine women's college), to become Southern Benedictine College. This college closed in 1979, and now operates as Saint Bernard Preparatory School.
The former site of Sacred Heart College is Sacred Heart Monastery, which serves as a retreat center operated by the Benedictine Sisters of Sacred Heart Monastery.

Geography

Cullman is located on top of Brindley Mountain plateau at (34.177508, -86.844996).
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 49.6 km² (19.1 mi²). 47.4 km² (18.3 mi²) of it is land and 2.2 km² (0.9 mi²) of it (4.49%) is water.
Elevation: 826 feet

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 13,995 people, 6,059 households, and 3,762 families residing in the city. The population density was 295.3/km² (765.0/mi²). There were 6,679 housing units at an average density of 140.9/km² (365.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.43% White, 0.36% Black or African American, 0.24% Native American, 0.45% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 1.06% from other races, and 1.41% from two or more races. 4.85% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 6,059 households out of which 26.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.3% were married couples living together, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.9% were non-families. 35.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.85.
In the city the population was spread out with 21.8% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 25.3% from 25 to 44, 22.6% from 45 to 64, and 22.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 87.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $29,164, and the median income for a family was $41,313. Males had a median income of $32,863 versus $21,647 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,484. About 9.4% of families and 13.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.3% of those under age 18 and 18.5% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The Cullman City School System comprises five schools: Cullman Primary School (Pre-K - First Grade), East Elementary (Second Grade - Sixth Grade), West Elementary (Second Grade - Sixth Grade), John G. Cullman Middle School (Seventh Grade and Eighth Grade) and Cullman High School (Ninth Grade - Twelfth Grade). Other schools include Saint Bernard Preparatory School (Ninth Grade-Twelfth Grade), Saint Bernard Middle School (Seventh and Eighth Grade), Sacred Heart Elementary School (Pre-K - Sixth Grade) and Saint Paul's Lutheran School (Pre-K - Sixth Grade).
Saint Bernard Preparatory School is Alabama's only Benedictine boarding school. It has produced three Cullman Area Chamber of Commerce "Students of the Year" (two of them receiving the honor over a span of three years), and graduates classes of approximately thirty students receiving over $4,000,000 in college scholarships annually. Many of the school's teachers are retired from the Cullman City School System. Other teachers are monks from Saint Bernard Abbey and nuns from the nearby Sacred Heart Monastery.
Saint Bernard Preparatory School has also established a middle school on site and will welcome seventh and eighth graders for the first time beginning in August 2007. The middle school was created in response to local parents wanting a Catholic middle school to remain in the community after it was announced that these grades were to be removed from Sacred Heart Elementary School, effective May 2007.

External links

★ City of Cullman, Alabama

★ History of Cullman, Article on Cullman High School website

★ Historical Biography of Cullman Alabama's Founder, Col. John Gottfried Cullmann from Barbara Burrow's Cullman real estate website

★ Cullman Schools Web Site